In 1976, the critic Roland Barthes wrote a manuscript in appreciation of the artist Saul Steinberg, ultimately published in 1983 as All Except You. In this article, the author argues that this little-known volume demonstrates the utility of Barthes for the study of animation. With a focus on pre-cinematic media, including panoramas and optical toys, the author emphasizes Barthes’ reflections on animation, metamorphosis, and perspective. Reliant upon archival materials accessible only at the Beinecke Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and including new translations of passages from All Except You, it is further proposed that a single missing typographical mark helps us to better understand Barthes’ animatic understanding of Steinberg.
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